The Faries Shield
by A-gear-in-the-works
Summary: Eorzea is a strange land, filled with many strange happenings. But when a certain paladin gets sucked into an Anima, they are sent flying into a world even more magical then their own, but how will he adapt? Why are the Ascians still appearing? How does Fiore have ties to Eorzea? Join Areoss as he attempts to adapt to his strange new world that he now calls home. T for gore, swears
1. The final blow, a new start

The Black Shroud, a forest that is as old as Eorzea itself. An ominous feeling hung in the air, storm clouds filling the air, the sounds of battle echoing throughout the shroud. As one draws closer to the centre of the shroud, the chaos grew louder, steel scraping against steel, electricity shredding trees apart, a horse's cries at its owner being attacked.

Odin, one of the most ancient primals, was locked in combat with a group of adventurers. His brilliant black armour was chipped and cracked, barely being held together. His steed, Slepnir, was on the edge of collapse, it's breathing coming in ragged bursts. Only Odin's sword remained the same, the blade being the only part of him still in perfect shape. His opponents were barely faring better, most of their armour being as broken, if not more than his.

The one leading the charge fared the worst, his once pure white armour, now chipped and cracked, barely blocked any of the primal's attacks. His gigantic sword, glowing a brilliant white light, was dropping low, almost scraping against the ground, and a shield of pure white with the same glow as his sword lay in his left hand.

Behind this warrior lay three others. Right behind the paladin, an almost demonic looking man readied himself, his armour splitting off into so many spikes, almost like the talons of a dragon, the very top of the helmet leaving way for his strange ears. In his hands, a gigantic spear, with what appeared to be wings halfway down the blade.

Behind those two, a woman dressed in pure black seemed as exhausted as her comrades, her black staff almost dropping from her hands. Garbed in pure black leather, a tail of the same colour trailing behind her, her head covered by a pointed witches hat.

Standing somewhat safely at the back of the group, a short woman seemed deep in trance, muttering to her pure white staff, a light green aura flowing around her. Her cloak the same colour as her staff, save a few red trimmings, was as torn as the ground surrounding her.

The mighty primal paused his relentless slashing for a moment, "Thee have done well, young ones," His voice filled the entire forest, a deep rumble like that of thunder, "but this ends now, I shall give thee a hero's death!"

Odin thrust his sword high above his head, the black sword towering over the adventurers before him. "Mine obsidian blade shalt split atwain the threads of thy future…"

The paladin rushed forward, slamming his shield into the still chanting primal, "Guys run! That's Zanatsuken, his most powerful attack. If we keep trying to fight him then we're all going to end up dead! I'll keep him occupied for now, so run now, while you have the chance!"

"We won't leave you." The dragoon called out, rushing in an attempt to reach the primal, only to be kicked back by his friend. "This isn't an option, if we all run then he'll still come after us, but if I stay back then his bloodlust will be satisfied." The holy warrior didn't even bother looking at his friend, his focus entirely on the black blade in front of him. "Better that all of you get out then all of us die, so go!"

His final words spurred on his comrades actions, as the ladies in white and black, and finally the reluctant dragoon left the clearing. Alone with nothing but the primal, and no regrets, the paladin readied himself for this final attack, pouring all his remaining strength into his defence.

"…Whilst its crimson fuller shalt channel the lifeblood of thy past!" With a mighty swing of his sword, the primal cut straight through the paladin before him, levelling the surrounding trees in the process. The adventurer fell to the ground, clutching at what still remained of his stomach, the attack tearing through his armour as though it was paper, blood pouring out like a fountain.

Sheathing his sword, Odin slowly approached the dying man, his armour steadily repairing itself. "What is thy name, boy?" The adventurer coughed blood for a few moments, before glancing up at the figure who had just taken his life. "Areoss… Areoss Lightsworn…"

The primal gave a nod of his head, "A good name, I shalt remember it well." Odin turned from the dying adventurer, swiftly exiting the clearing. Just as he neared, the edge of the grove, the primal thought he felt a disturbance. Glancing back, there was no trace of the adventurer that was once there, only a pool of blood remained, no sign of a body. Given the state the paladin had been in, he couldn't possibly have moved on his own, and Odin had not detected anyone else entering the grove, so how did the body disappear? The elder primal shook his head, ridding himself of such trivial thoughts, Eorzea was full of mysteries and this was simply one of many. Had the primal looked up, he would have noticed a tearing in the sky, and the speck of light that flew through it.

* * *

Today had been one huge ride for Lucy Heartfillia.

Natsu had dragged her to joining a team with Erza and Gray, then forced her to go on a mission to fight an entire dark guild by themselves. Even if they weren't very strong, that hadn't made her any less terrified. And to top it all off, one of Zeref's demons attempted to wipe out most of the guild masters.

The tired celestial mage had been through enough for one day, and was content to simply rest at the bar, chatting with Mirajane about little things happening around the guild. Or she would be, if there hadn't been a massive column of light which grabbed the attention of everyone in Magnolia. Already, members of the guild were discussing what it could have been.

"Hey Lucy!" Natsu called out to her, the pink haired teen still wearing the same scaled scarf and vest that he always does, "We're going to check out that light from earlier, want to come with us?"

"Not now Natsu, I'm exhausted." Lucy replied, laying her head on the bar.

"But Lucy, did you see that light, it could be interesting, maybe something to do with spirits or something." Happy, the flying blue cat added in, grabbing Lucy's attention.

"Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to check then." Lucy said.

"C'mon then, Gray and Erza already left, and I'm not going to let them hog all the action!" With that, Natsu sprinted out the guild doors, Happy swiftly following in his wake. Lucy hesitated for a moment before following after the strange duo.

It didn't take long for Lucy to catch up to others, they were easy enough to find with all the noise they were making. Soon, the bustling streets of Magnolia were behind them, grass fields filling their place. Up ahead, Erza and Gray were standing in front of a small crater that had formed, discussing something. Erza was wearing the same armour as she always did when off of missions. Gray was down to his jeans and boots, probably having lost his shirt somewhere along the way due to his strange habit. Both of them turned at the noise Natsu was making, waving at the trio.

"Ah, Natsu, Lucy, you decided to inspect the site as well?" Erza asked. "Of course! There might be someone strong to fight." Natsu replied, a cocky grin on his face.

"That won't be happening anytime soon, flame breath." Gray stated, gesturing to the crater behind him, "Unless you feel like fighting someone that's half dead, then be my guest."

Looking in to the crater behind the pair, someone was in there. The man was wearing massive white armour, the area around his stomach torn to shreds, dried blood caked over around the once pure white metal. A short crop of hair, the same colour as his armour, lay on his head. His face twisted in a scowl of pain.

"Why haven't you moved him?" Lucy asked, panic slipping into her voice, she hadn't expected something like this.

"We're not sure if we can move him without reopening his wounds," Gray answered, "and none of us know how to treat his wound here and now, so we might have to risk it. It's either that or he'll die."

The group paused, unsure how to approach the situation. Happy piqued up, "Couldn't Natsu seal the wound with his flames?"

"It's possible, and we don't have much of a choice at this point." Erza nodded. Natsu made his way into the crater, kneeling over the wounded man. "I'm sorry." A small red flame sparked off the tip of his index finger. Natsu swiftly worked the flame across the wound, small grunts of pain coming from the warrior. The patch job was over quickly, Natsu giving a sigh of relief.

"Right, now we just need to get him back to the guild. Natsu, help me carry him." Gray hopped down into the crater, lifting the young man by his shoulders as Natsu grabbed his legs. The two carefully manoeuvred him out of the crater, starting towards their guild, Lucy and Happy not far behind. Erza was about to follow when she noticed something in the crater. Beneath where the injured man had been, a gigantic sword and shield lay. Erza couldn't recognize the insignia on the shield, nor the strange pattern etched on the blade. She could worry more about it later, quickly storing both items in her requip space.

"The master might know more about this, perhaps he knows what those symbols mean." Erza muttered to herself, already walking back to Fairy Tail.

* * *

Gray and Natsu burst through the guild doors, carrying the warrior on their shoulders. Every member of the guild started questioning them, wanting to know who the injured man they were carrying was, but they were shoved aside as Gray and Natsu rushed to the bar, Mirajane already looking directly at them, concern lining on the white haired beautie's face.

"Mira, can you get one of the beds ready?" Gray shouted over the ruckus. "On it." Mira disappeared through a door behind the bar, Gray and Natsu following close behind. Not long after, they arrived at the infirmary, three beds on either side of the room. Mira was sat down by the closest one, a medical kit already in hand, although she wasn't professionally trained, she knew how to patch wounds better than most. She signalled the two teens to lay the young man on the bed, making sure they did so gently. Once the teen was lying still, she went to work clearing away the dried blood and stitching the wound. It wasn't long before the hole across the warrior's chest was sewn up, though it would need someone with proper medical skills to heal the wound completely.

Mira stood up facing the two teens, both of them tense at what she had to say, "He'll live for now," the two teens let out a sigh of relief, "but I can't heal those wounds properly on my own, we may need Porlyusica to completely heal them, he might even have some internal damage. He won't be up anytime soon, but don't worry, I'll stay with him. Best if you go see the master and tell him, he'll need to go with you to have any chance of Porlyusica agreeing to help." Gray and Natsu nodded, already making their way towards the door when they heard a groan coming from the bed.

All of them turned towards the bed to see the young man mumbling, as if he was trying to say something. As they drew closer they heard him whisper one word, 'Odin'. The trio looked at each other, unsure what the word meant. Deciding it was best to leave the young man to recover, the three of them slowly crept out the door, making their way back to the hall.

When the trio reached the bar, they found Erza and Lucy sitting there waiting for them, "Will he live?" Erza asked. "I can't guarantee how long he will last, but it should be enough time for us to get help form Porlyusica." Mira replied.

"Porlyusica, who's that?" Lucy asked. "Just some old hag that lives out in the forrest, she helps out the guild whenever the master asks her to, but she doesn't like most people." Gray answered. "Speaking of gramps, we need to tell him about this, c'mon, he should be upstairs." Natsu already halfway up the stairs, Happy close behind, the others soon following.

It wasn't long before the group was at the master's room, swiftly knocking. "Enter." The group made their way through the door, all of them greeted by their master sitting at his desk, which was barely a meter off the ground, the man sitting behind it barely any taller. Makarov's clothes were covered in blue and orange stripes, a hat similar to a jester's hat of the same colour sat on his head.

"So, I assume you found the source of that light from earlier?" Makarov asked. Erza stepped forward, quickly explaining the situation to their master. Makarov remained silent for a minute, before hopping up on his desk, "We'd best be off then, from the sounds of it, the young man doesn't have much time left." Makarov's children nodded, all of them heading out of the office, all except Erza.

"What is it, Erza?" "Master, once the man had been removed from the crater, I found a sword and shield that I failed to recognize in there, I was hoping you could tell me what the insignia on them meant." With a small flash of light, the broadsword and shield appeared, the shield almost as big as Makarov, and the sword was at least twice his size. Makarov stepped back, shock appearing on his face. He quickly examined the blade, tracing over the intracite patterns on the blade, before doing the same to the shield.

"Could it be? No, there's no way that he could be one of _them_." Makarov muttered to himself. "Master?" "It's nothing, nothing that we need to concern ourselves with. Let's go, Porlyusica won't be too happy with Natsu there."

* * *

Makarov hadn't been wrong. After a short walk through the forest on the edge of Magnolia, they arrived at the old woman's hut, or tree to be more accurate. Arriving at the door, Erza and Makarov heard what appeared to be shouting and the sound of straw hitting something coming from inside. They entered to be greeted with the sight of an old lady with bright pink hair dressed in a red coat smashing both Natsu and Gray over the head with her broom, shouting something along the lines of privacy from humans. Upon spotting Makarov, she pointed the deadly broom straight at him, a furious look etched on her face. "You! What have I said about leaving me alone, and about sending others?" Makarov shuddered at the anger in her voice.

"I wouldn't have sent them ahead unless it was something serious." Makarov whimpered. "Fine, let's get this over with so I can go back to my peaceful house, where is the patient." Porlyusica leaning her broom on the wall beside her. "We couldn't move him, his wound might have reopened if we tried, so we thought it was better to bring you to him."

"Fine, as long as it's only inside of the guild building. Give me some time to gather my equipment." Stalking past the two trespassers, she made her way to the back of the room, plucking objects seemingly from random.

"Damn, the old hag still hits hard with that broom." Natsu complained, rubbing the bruises on his arms and head. "Yeah, she hits harder than Erza does with that thing." Gray added, rubbing similar wounds. "Is she always this harsh to her guests?" Lucy asked, afraid of what else the old lady would do. "Just because I'm old doesn't mean I'm deaf!" Both boys ran for the door, terrified of another beating from the broom, Lucy close behind them.

"Take me to him then, this patient of yours." Porlyusica was already walking towards the door, a small white bag with a red cross stitched on the front in her hands. Makarov and Erza were soon to follow, the trio moving swiftly, hoping to save the warrior.

* * *

Mira had remained by the wounded man's bed, trying to lessen the pain he was going through. She had tried using wet towels to cool him down, but that only seemed to make things worse. Her patchwork on the wound was still being held together, but it wouldn't last much longer, already blood was starting to drip from the corners of the wound, barely more than a drip, but still there. Mira had tried wrapping bandages around the front of the wound, but there wasn't anything more she could do. _Please come soon_ , she thought, keeping her eyes on her patient. During the time Mira had stayed with him, he had muttered more in his wounded state, Primal, Excalibur, Mira had no idea what these meant, but they must have been important to the young man somehow.

Just as Mira was going to search for more bandages, she heard a commotion from outside the door, slowly making its way closer towards her. A few moments and the ruckus barged through the door, the sight of Porlyusica giving Mira a sense of relief. The old woman quickly made her way to the young man's bed, soon followed by the master and Erza. She gave the man a quick glance over before focusing her attention on the wound on his chest.

"Hmm, appears to be very severe, several blood vessels cut open,large amounts of flesh being torn out by what appears to have been a blade. You're lucky that I managed to make it here in time, this man would have died given much more time. You, girl, help me remove the rest of his armour, I won't be able to operate with all of this in the way." Mira nodded, following her order without question. "Now, leave me to do my work, this will take time, and there's little point of you two standing here distracting me." With that, both Erza and Mira left the room, leaving Makarov and Porlyusica alone to treat the man.

Porlyusica began removing bottles from her bag, gently applying the liquid inside to the open wound, and repeating this process for several minutes. The medicine appeared to work to great effect, closing the wound swiftly, even repairing some of the damaged organs. Once the slaves had taken their affect, she removed what remained of the patchwork of thread.

"Truly astonishing, by all means this young man should be dead. The wound he possessed was deep enough to easily kill a normal person from being dealt the wound itself, let alone the bleeding that was soon to follow. But this man, he not only survived the wound, but managed to live long enough to receive proper medical attention. He truly is something else."

"Something else isn't wrong," Makarov said, making sure to lower his voice so not to be overheard, "he's one of _them_ , the sword and shield that Erza found next to him prove it, the insignia matches those from years ago, they're coming back Porlyusica." The old woman didn't react at first, sitting next to her patient. "So, it appears as though the history is repeating itself, sending us another of those from beyond, let us hope this one sticks to his righteous path."

 **A/N So, first crossover, first time taking all this seriously. Please bear with me as the start may be a bit bumpy, I'm still learning as I go, and I'm still learning how to properly edit. This is the first chapter of many, as this will be a series that I have no intention of giving up on this. The next chapter is pretty much finished, and will most likely be published tomorrow. So to all of you who have joined me on this journey, strap in, as this young adventurer is going to need a lot of help with this. Enjoy!**

 **I also decided to edit it a little more, just to be sure**


	2. Darkness stirring, fates wheels turning

Areoss was drenched in sweat as he awoke, head falling straight into his hands as he attempted to remember his dream. Something about an Ascian, the mother crystal disappearing, and hatred filled eyes. Shaking his head, the warrior of light glanced down to find he was no longer wearing his relic armour, but a simple blue top and cream trousers that lay underneath. Searching left and right, passing over beds and a few shelves, before settling on the white pile of armour lying in the corner, the main chest piece torn from end to end.

Memories flooded back to the paladin, of his party fighting Odin, being hit directly by Zanatsuken… Zanatsuken! Areoss fingers quickly searched over his chest, searching for the gigantic wound that had been there, only to find a scar, albeit a rather large one. With a sigh of relief, he turned his attention back to his current problem, where was he? He didn't have to wait long to find out, as a white haired young lady in a red dress slowly opened the door a crack, before spotting his upright form and steeping in the room, a broad smile on her face.

"Oh your finally awake," the white haired lady spoke first, her voice soothing Areoss nerves, "we were worried you wouldn't wake up for a while there. I'm Mirajane, but everyone calls me Mira, what's your name?"

"A-Areoss," the warrior of light had struggled to find his voice, the uncertainty of his surroundings not helping.

"That's a nice name. Now I know you're a little exhausted, but would you mind coming with me? The master would like to discuss some things with you."

"S-sure. Oh! I spotted most of my equipment over there, are my sword and shield still safe?" Neither had been among the pile.

"I'm sure the master would be the one to talk to about that, best to see him as soon as possible." Mira said reasuringly, already making her way back towards the door.

Areoss gave a slight nod, turning so his feet barely scraped the floor. Just as he tried to shift his weight to his legs, a searing pain cut across his stomach, tearing a scream from his throat. Mira rushed to his side immediately, trying to help the young man up, only to be stopped by his hand. Areoss struggled for a moment, before finally managing to get on his feet.

"Are you sure your feeling up to walking? That scar looked pretty bad, and I don't think walking would help it at all." Areoss gave her a reassuring smile, hiding the pain the way he always did, "It's fine, I've been through worse. And besides, this wound won't get any better anytime soon, so I'll have to learn to live with it." With that said, the warrior of light slowly made his way through the door into the hallway.

One short trip through the empty guild, and the pair arrived at the set of double doors that led to the master, Mira giving a swift knock before entering Areoss soon after her. Before him, Areoss was greeted with a man who he first mistook as a Lalafell, barely reaching past his knees, dressed similar to a court jester. Areoss didn't think any less of the man though, if his travels were anything to go by the shorter people can sometimes be far scarier than the tall ones.

"Ah, it's good to see you awake, boy." Makarov raised a hand to him, Areoss gladly grasping it in his own, feeling the man's strength in that grip, rivalling his own. "Makarov Dreyar, master of Fairy Tail, and you would be?"

"Areoss Lightsworn. Thank you for treating my wounds and looking after me." Areoss gave the old man a small bow.

"Think nothing of it, my boy. Now onto the matters at hand, would you mind telling me how you managed to arrive here?"

"Well, to be honest sir, I'm not too sure exactly where here is, would you mind telling me where we are?" The young paladin asked.

"Why, you're in Magnolia, one of the largest cities in all of Fiore." Makarov replied, his eyes narrowing.

Fiore, the name didn't exactly ring any bells for the warrior of light, but perhaps it was beyond where the maps of Eorzea traced."And just where would that be in relation to Eorzea?"

A look of confusion crossed Makarov's face, "Eorzea, I have never heard of any such continent. Are you sure you are all right boy?"

"You mean you haven't heard of Eorzea, one of the largest countries in all of Hydaelyn?" Panic was starting to overcome the warrior, no one even knew of Eorzea, where on Hydaelyn was he?

"Hm, quite a predicament we find ourselves in. Neither of us appears to know of the others homeland. What to do, what to do." Makarov tugged at his mustache lost in thought.

"Well, it seems that you're going to need to stay here then." Both men glanced at the source of the voice to see Mira with that same smile on her face, "Someone will need to teach you about Fiore and help you find out about your home right? And Fairy Tail would be a great place to start, you could even become a guild member."

Makarov nodded in agreement, "Yes, we of Fairy Tail are always open to add more to our family, so what say you Areoss, will you join us?"

Areoss stopped for a moment, thinking back to what these people had done for him so far, the kindness they had shown him. Something at the back of his mind told him not to trust them, that he could manage alone, but after all that he had seen, he couldn't see anything wrong with asking for their help. "I think I will, for now at least." A small grin broke out on his face.

Makarov returned the smile, before hopping off his chair and reaching for something beneath his desk. A short scuffle followed by some loud bangs, and Makarov returned, Areoss' sword and shield in hand. Relief flooded through him at the sight of the weapons he had been through so much with. "Well, if you're going to be a part of Fairy Tail, you'll be needing these back."

"That I will, thank you." Areoss wrapped his hand around the handle of Excalibur, feeling the familiar weight of the white sword back in its rightful place. The Aegis shield settled snuggly onto his left arm, the shield in the same condition he remembered, perfect. Turning back to the master, he gave a small bow,

"Thank you, I don't know what I would have done if I had lost these weapons. Actually I'm more afraid of what their craftsman would have done to me if I lost them." Areoss winced slightly at the beating Gerolt would have given him. Makarov gave a small shooing motion towards the door.

"No point in staying in here with me, it's best if you rest up for the night, and meet the rest of the guild tomorrow. It won't do you any good to lose rest, especially with a wound such as yours." Areoss gave a start, only just realizing how late it was, before giving the master a small smile walking out the door, his sword and shield still in hand. Mira gave the master one final nod before following after the warrior, who was probably already lost in the guild at a time like this.

Makarov let out a short sigh, he hated hiding the truth, especially from such an honest boy as that one, but it had to be done. The truth would have only hurt him, not helped, better to tell him later, when he was ready for it. The boy still had much to learn, his magic seemed barely touched, but it was there, oh it was certainly there, and in such large quantities for one who hadn't used magic. Areoss would certainly become strong, that much was certain.

* * *

Areoss awoke far easier that morning, the pains that had been present last night nothing more than a distant memory. After a few morning stretches, simply to test that his wounds wouldn't split open at any second, Areoss knelt down to inspect what was left of his armour. The only parts that he could salvage were the boots and gauntlets, at least they were better then nothing. Within a few minutes, the paladin was ready to face Fiore, making his way out of the infirmary.

The light from the next room seemed almost blinding at first, before quickly dimming down, allowing his eyes to adjust, and was it a strange sight to behold. Areoss found himself in what he assumed was the main hall of the guild, several people already awake and strewn across the tables, some chatting, others looking at what looked like a company board in the corner. The warrior of glanced around for someone to talk to, spotting Mira behind a bar, cleaning a glass with a white cloth. With his purpose set, Areoss swiftly made his way over to her, giving the barmaid a friendly wave as she spotted him, receiving a smile in return.

"Morning Areoss, feeling better today?" Mira said in that same cheerful tone.

"I'm feeling fine, Mira. It just doesn't feel right without all my armour." Areoss said, rubbing his gauntlets together unkowngingly

"Ah, I'm sure you'll find one to replace it soon enough, we could even ask some people I know who specialize in armour."

"That'd be great, thanks Mira." Mira smiled at the praise, "No need to thank me, only trying to help out where I can. Anyway, now that you're a part of the guild, where would you like your guild mark to go?"

"Guild mark?" Areoss asked, "Yeah, everyone has one, mines white on my left thigh, the master's is red and right in the centre of his chest. So where would you like yours, and what colour?"

Areoss had to pause for a moment, taken off guard by the question. It took a few moments to decide before finally settling on a spot. Taking off his left gauntlet, he held out the palm of his hand, "Right there please, and in silver if that's fine."

"Sure thing, this will only take a second." Mira ducked behind the counter, re-emerging with what looked like a stamp in her hand. As soon as the stamp touched his skin, Areoss felt a strange tingling warmth run through him, and was soon met with a silver mark as it left his skin. Areoss admired the mark for a few moments before sliding his glove back on, glancing around the guild hall.

"So, what exactly is a guild?" Mira had already placed the stamp back in place, a furrow appearing on her brow as she considered the question. "Well, I guess you could call a guild a gathering of friends, a sort of family even in some cases. The guild is assigned jobs through the magic council, the higher ups in Fiore, and these jobs are what bring profit to mages."

"Mages, you mean people who can use magic?" Mira gave a nod, "Everyone in the guild can use magic, each and every one with their own unique type of their own. Can you use magic, Areoss?"

The warrior of light scratched the back of his head, a little unsure himself, "Well, I'm not really sure. I mean, all paladins have to have a basic understanding of healing magic, but other than that, I haven't really seen any appeal in it, I much rather relying on my skill with a blade then a staff."

"A paladin?" Mira tilted her head, confused. Areoss nodded before replying "That's what I am, proud member of the sultansworn, and apparently one of the strongest paladins alive, according to some."

"What exactly does a paladin do?" Mira was overtaken with curiosity despite being the one who was meant to be answering questions, not asking them.

"A paladin is someone who protects his allies, who is willing to risk life and limb to protect their comrade over themselves."

"Ah, in that case, you should fit in just fine around here. You'll find that this guild is like family, each member caring for one another, much the same way you care for your comrades."

Areoss was pleased by this idea, this place was getting better by the moment. Speaking of where, "Hey Mira, would you mind telling me what things are like in Fiore, not things like the history, just enough that I can get by. I don't want to be left in the dark about where I am, and all the info I can get will help."

"Sure thing. This may take a while, so you may want to get comfy."

The remainder of that morning was spent with an explanation of all the guilds, how the magic council worked, and just general things about Fiore as a whole. Mira was just explaining the ranks of jobs, when a certain rose haired teen kicked the front door open."Yo, I'm back!" the teen shouted, a blue cat with wings happily shouting 'aye' right behind him.

The boy had to be nearing eighteen, his spiky pink hair somehow staying out of his eye's. A black vest with a golden trim covered his torso, leaving his right shoulder exposed to reveal a red Fairy Tail guild mark. Plain white pants and a pair of black sandles covered his legs, a white scaled scarf adorning his neck and shoulders. The blue cat also appeared to be wearing a small green bag.

The strange duo walked up to the bar, giving Mira a wave before noticing Areoss, not entirely recognizing the young man. "Hm, who are you?" the young man pointed straight at Areoss, "I'm Areoss, nice to meet you."

The rose haired teen scratched his head for a few moments, lost in thought, before snapping his fingers together, "Ah, you're that guy we found in the crater the other day, you were pretty beaten up when we got you here, but you seem fine now. My name's Natsu by the way, Natsu Dragneel." "And I'm Happy!" Areoss was a little shocked by the talking cat, but after all he had seen it wasn't too surprising.

Natsu held out his hand, Areoss clasping it firmly with his own, already liking the young teen. "So you joined the guild? We should fight some time later, you seem to be pretty strong!" The teen let a smile cover his face, and Areoss couldn't help it as one crept along his mouth as well.

"Well Natsu, seeing as it's Areoss' first day, would you mind going with him on a job?" Mira gestured to the board Areoss had noticed earlier, "I'm sure he'd be fine on his own normally, but with those injuries, better to be safe than sorry."

Natsu gave the barmaid a nod, "Sure thing Mira. C'mon Areoss, the request board is over here!" Natsu took off immediately with Happy swiftly in pursuit, leaving the paladin to follow along. The young man gave Mira a word of thanks before following the rose haired teen and his blue cat.

By the time the paladin had reached the pair, Natsu was already holding a sheet of paper in his hand, waving it to Areoss. "This job will do, it shouldn't take us too long." The trio made their way towards the front doors, Areoss receiving a few strange glances from some of the other guild members. Just as they were about to leave, someone came barrelling through the entrance, bowling the warrior of light straight off his feet, and landing right on top of him.

"Um, could you please get off of me," Areoss mumbled, not enjoying being used as a cushion for someone to lie on. "Ah, sorry about that." A female voice apologized, the weight quickly shifting off Areoss' chest. Areoss glanced down to see a girl in a sleeveless white top offering him a hand. He accepted the offer up, almost pulling the girl down again with how much his boots weighed.

Now taking a better look at her, the girl appeared to be around Natsu's age, with blonde hair reaching past her shoulders, a blue skirt barely reaching a few inches below her waist, and a pair of black boots just coming up short of her knees.

"Sorry about that again. Oh are you new to the guild? I haven't seen you here before, but then again I'm pretty new myself." The girl seemed full of curiosity, eyes glancing over his armour and weapons, lingering on the sword and shield.

"I am new, I just so happened to join the guild today. I'm Areoss."

"Oh, it's great to meet you, Areoss. I'm Lucy Heartfillia a celestial spirit mage." The pair shook hands, "Wait, aren't you that young man we found outside of town the other day, and your back on your feet already? That must have been some pretty powerful healing magic that old lady used."

"Of course the old hag could fix it, gramps wouldn't have gotten her to if she couldn't!" Natsu interrupted. "Well whatever fixed my wound, it didn't get rid of all of it." Areoss lifted the front of his shirt, running the whole length across his stomach. Natsu whistled at the wound, impressed, while Lucy turned away, a faint red lingering on her cheeks.

"Anyway, we should get going, that job isn't going to do itself, right Happy?" "Aye!" The blue cat cheered happily. "You're going on a job?" Lucy asked. "Yeah, Mira said to help the new guy out on his first job, so I picked the first one I found, it isn't too far away either, something about a yeti infestation on Mt Hakobe."

"That place again? They seem to be having a lot of trouble up there. Is it fine if I tag along, I doubt that I'll have anything to do around here with my teammate gone." "Sure, but don't go complaining about the cold like last time." Lucy mumbled something about not knowing about cold weather, before the group of four made their way out the front entrance.

Mira let out a small chuckle from behind the bar, their new member seemed to fit in fine, now only time would tell as to where it would lead to, the young man had potential, she could see that, but his possibilities were near endless.

 **A/N So, second chapter finished, and the ball has started rolling. Next chapter will pickup with more action, and maybe a few more people. To reviewer Linksroyal: Thanks man, and I'm not sure if the whole party will make it to Fiore, it might take a fair amount of time, but I dunno. I was planning on having just Areoss, juggling too many OC's isn't good for stories, but I'll see. As always, have a nice day, and please leave any feedback you feel is necessary! Seeya next chapter. Oh and the next chapter might take a little longer, I'm struggling a little with school work at the moment, so just a word of warning in case the gap gets really big.**


	3. As cold as Coerthas

Areoss was regretting his choice of clothes.

The trip had been awful, Natsu was nauseous the entire trip, and Lucy had been asking questions that he wasn't sure how to answer yet. Like where he was from, or why he joined Fairy Tail. He knew the answers, but until he talked to Makarov more about it, he wasn't going to go telling anyone where he was from, the twelve knew how that's ended up in the past.

Areoss was thoroughly annoyed when the caravan finally came to a halt, the driver shouting something about bad weather, Areoss didn't care, it's not like this place could have worse weather then Coerthas.

Areoss found himself regretting those words, it might not have been as cold as Coerthas, but without his entire armour, the wind sure bit hard. Lucy and Natsu didn't seem to complain about it. Lucy he could understand, being covered almost head to toe in warm clothes, but the rose haired teen confused him, still wearing just his sleeveless top, shorts and sandals. Areoss shrugged it off, perhaps he just wasn't bothered by cold, Happy seemed to be dealing with it fine too, his blue fur keeping him warm enough.

"Alright guys, the request said that there were about ten or so yetis that we need to deal with, and that they would be near the summit of the mountain." Natsu said, already starting the trek up the beaten grey track in front of them, keeping a firm grasp on his scarf, Happy following behind.

Areoss kicked himself mentally for not packing anything warm. With a sigh, the young paladin followed the two ahead, pointless to keep complaining about the cold, he'd survived Shiva, this should be fine.

* * *

Lucy started after the young man in front of her, head filled with questions that he had refused to answer.

Lucy was a little suspicious, who wouldn't had just appeared out of seemingly nowhere covered in blood, and the very next day, he was a part of the guild. She shook her head, those thoughts wouldn't help her at all, the master trusted him enough, so she should too.

Although, Lucy thought to herself, he did seem very strange. People don't just get back in action after only a day of healing from a wound like his, not even Natsu could. There was something strange about the swordsman, and she was determined to find out just what he truly was.

* * *

"Oi, Natsu, how much further?" Areoss called out, struggling to keep his footing in the thick snow.

"We keep going until we find the yeti's!" Areoss couldn't even see where the teen was, only barely able to hear him over the howling wind.

"I hope we find them soon, I need something to warm me up." Areoss called back, hands wrapped around his sides in an attempt to stay warm.

"Hey, what's that over there?" Lucy called out behind him, pointing at something to their right. Areoss turned to see a hulking shadow standing on a ledge above them, unable to see anymore through the snow.

"Is that a yeti? It isn't human with that size." Areoss was already letting his hands rest on his sword and shield, ready to fight at a moment's notice.

"Oi Yeti!" A shout to their caught Lucy and Areoss' attention as they watched Natsu smash into the shadow, his fist driving into its stomach, a beastly roar the creature's response. The beast swiped its arm, only for Natsu to fly up, Happy's wings keeping him out of reach.

"Don't just stand there, this is your job right? So take care of it!" Natsu called out, pointing towards the beast.

Areoss gave a nod, Excalibur already in his hand, he sprinted over to the bottom of the ledge, already scanning for a way up. Spotting a cluster of rocks towards the side, he quickly scaled those and reached the top of the ledge, just in time to see what he assumed was a yeti tossing a boulder at Natsu and Happy, the duo just barely dodging it.

With his enemy in sight, Areoss pulled his Aegis shield off his back, lowering himself into his usual stance, the strange calm that came with fighting working its way back into his system. He took a few seconds to glance over the yeti, shaggy snow white fur covering all but its hands and feet, a snarling face poking through the fur as well.

Areoss swung forward, bringing his sword in a mighty swing from right to left, the yeti jumping back to avoid most of the damage, but the yeti didn't expect the reverse slash to follow. Blood seeped from the shallow wound, coating the yeti's fur a thick red.

With an outraged roar, the yeti charged forward, only to be met swiftly by a shield to the face, knocking it out cold. The yeti swayed on its feet for a few moments, before groaning and falling onto its back, leaving Areoss his victory.

"Nice work, new guy." The paladin glanced over to see Lucy, Natsu and Happy standing to his left, or in Happy's case floating. Natsu was giving him an enthusiastic applause, Happy following in suite, while Lucy just stood there shocked, unable to comprehend how the teen had taken out a beast that was at least twice as big as he was, in just two attacks.

"Thanks. These guys seem pretty easy to deal with, how many of them did we have to take out?" the young paladin said, flicking off the blood on his sword, not an easy feat with how large Excalibur is.

"The request just said there was an infestation, so we keep going until there aren't any left!" With those words, Natsu and Happy rushed back into the snow, leaving Lucy and Areoss behind in search for more yetis.

"Is he, always like that?" Areoss asked the blonde, a little shocked at the young teen's enthusiasm.

"You have no idea." Lucy replied with a sigh, beginning to trudge through the snow, the warrior of light not far behind.

* * *

The job was going well, they had already found ten yetis, Natsu and Areoss taking most of the fighting for themselves, while Happy and Lucy watched.

The group had hit a problem, with ten of the yetis down, they couldn't seem to find anymore. Areoss assumed that they had taken them all out, but according to Natsu, there were still more. When the paladin asked how he knew there were more, the teen simply replied by saying "I can smell more." How he could do that, Areoss had no idea, but he opted to follow the more experienced teen.

"Up ahead, I can smell a lot of them." Natsu pointed towards a ridge ahead, the snow having calmed down now allowing them to see it easily. The group clambered up the ridge, Happy flying alongside them. As soon as they reached the top, several howls erupted in front of them, at least 10 yetis in front of them, and towering at the back, a yeti at least twice as tall as his kin, dwarfing the mages in front of him.

"Great, some tough ones to fight!" Natsu cried out, charging straight at the yeti's fists raised for an attack. Areoss followed the rose haired teen, leaving Lucy to do whatever she was doing. Holding Excalibur in both hands, Areoss slashed across the chest of the first yeti he met, the yeti roaring in pain and swiping at him, only for his hand to be met by fresh air as the paladin was already slashing at another opponent trying to make sure Natsu didn't have to fight them all at once.

It wasn't long before the two were back to back, yeti's surrounding both of them. "You ready Areoss? I'm going all out now." Areoss felt an intense wash over him, turning around in shock to see Natsu's fists on fire, the flames coiling around his wrists and hands. "You better get serious too, otherwise I'll take all of them!" With that, the rose haired teen pounced at the yeti's fists searing their fur and knocking them out far quicker than before.

"Guess I gotta step up my game." Areoss grunted, running his left hand across Excalibur, a blue glow surrounding the blade, the power of sword oath giving the blade even more power. With a battle cry, the paladin charged in, swinging at any yeti's close enough to him, opting to dodge instead of block.

* * *

Natsu was having the time of his life, he hadn't found someone this fun to fight with in a while. That new guy, Areoss was it? He was awesome, he hadn't even used any magic and he still took out the yeti's quicker than he could. Natsu had held back, just using bare fists to fight the yetis until now, hoping that Areoss would show off his stuff first. Now that he was fighting with his magic, these yetis were a breeze.

Now that he thought about it, he could have sworn there had been a really big one, what happened to it? Just as that thought left his mind, an ear shattering scream erupted across the battles, drawing everyone's attention. Lucy was caught in the giant yetis hand, Happy flying around her trying to free her to no avail.

The dragon slayer felt a rage building within in him, flames licking at his body, "Oi, put down our friend!" The rose haired teen rushed forward, flames bursting from his feet to give him extra speed. With a cry and a flaming fist, Natsu smashed straight into the yeti's chest, a groan its only response.

Natsu didn't bother looking away, simply throwing as many punches he could at the yeti. That is, until its other hand slammed him into the snow, drawing a deep chuckle from the beast. Natsu was buried a few feet into the snow, his arms trapped by his sides.

Then, chuckling suddenly stop, followed by a howl of pain. Something pulled him out of the snow, dumping him back on top of it. Glancing up, Natsu was greeted with the sight he didn't expect.

Areoss was standing right in front of the giant yeti, his sword drenched in blood, as the yeti cried out, grasping its right hand, blood flowing like a river from it. Lucy was on the ground next to him, seeming unharmed. With a cry, the young man slashed at the creature's ankles, taking the beast off guard and toppling him, snow flying everywhere.

Areoss leapt onto the beast's chest, slamming him in the face several times to make sure it stayed down. Turning back at the remaining yetis, he brought his blood stained sword out in front of him, pointing at those that remained standing, "Anyone else feel up to it?" The yetis didn't understand the words, but they weren't going to stick around after their strongest was beaten by a single human. With panicked cries, the yetis split off, running off the mountain.

Natsu was impressed, sure he could have beaten the yeti, but Areoss had done it without taking a single hit, and he had made sure to save Lucy first too, he liked this guy already.

* * *

Areoss walked back over to where Lucy was helping, the teen back to her feet. "Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah, thanks for the save." The blond replied.

Areoss smiled, rubbing his hair nervously, "Think nothing of it, you would have done the same for me."

"Good work new guy." Natsu had walked over to the pair, Happy floating beside him, "I think that's all the yeti's taken care of, the ones that got away won't be coming back anytime soon, not after the beating we gave them."

"Agreed, shame they weren't much of a challenge. Where to now, we've dealt with the infestation." The paladin gave a short glance around, still cautious in case more enemies appeared.

"Best to head back to the guild, tell Mira and Gramps that you were fine. Hey, you should join our team!" Natsu exclaimed, pumping his fist into the air.

"Are you sure, you only just met me today and you want me on your team?" Areoss asked, a little sceptical.

"Yeah, you seem to enjoy fighting, and you helped Lucy, so you're a okay in my books!" The rose haired teen have him a thumbs up sign, his blue cat copying him with a cheerful 'aye'. "What about you Lucy, should he join us?" Natsu said, turning to the blonde, who quickly snapped out of her thoughts.

"I guess, I don't see any problems with him joining." Lucy muttered, looking at her feet.

"It's settled then, Areoss, welcome to the strongest team of Fairy Tail!" Natsu shouted in delight, Happy and Lucy following suite, even if Lucy's was a little less enthusiastic. Areoss couldn't help but smile at the trio, feeling touched that they accepted him so quickly, reminding him of how his old party had first met.

"Let's get going then, it's a long walk back to the guild." With that, the pink haired teen began the march down the mountain, the others soon following behind, all feeling a little satisfied at their victory, Areoss even humming a little tune to himself.

* * *

"Dammit, dammit! Damn all twelve of them! Why did it have to happen this way?" The clamour from the adventurers guild could be heard throughout Revenants Toll, all of them were aware of the party that had left on the fool's errand, fighting Odin by themselves. Many had grieved for the loss of one of their greatest, none more so then the paladins.

But one amongst all the adventurers was twisted beyond reason. A dragoon sat at his table, many empty mugs lying on his table, some even spilling onto the floor. None dared to say anything to him, the spear leaning against the table warning them of his deadliness. The dragon glanced up from his table, eyes blurred by tears, "Why, why did he always have to play such the hero? If he had just followed us, we could have all made it, but he had to stay behind. Now he's gone, not a trace of him left, almost as if he simply disappeared with Odin himself."

"Quit sulking Kit. Nothing good will come of it." The dragoon's head snapped towards the voice, eyes locking with his friend, still garbed in her black mage attire. "You think that you can just drink and sob away the pain? This isn't going away, Kit. He's gone, and that's how he's going to stay. No amount of phoenix downs could save him, even if we could find his body. It's been two weeks, and we've found nothing, so just stop!"

The dragoon stood up, walking over to his companion, his spiked armour reaching past her pointed hat, "Amir, I just can't believe he's gone. After everything we went through, he's gone. I-I just can't accept it." Kit marched off, reaching for the exit to the tavern.

"Kit wait! There might be some hope, Odin disappeared with him, but rumour has it that he's been appearing again in the shroud. If we find him, maybe we can find Areoss!" Kit stopped, pausing at the door for a few seconds. With almost a sad sigh, the dragoon slammed the door behind him, leaving his friend alone.

"Garleans, Primals, and now we lose you. What would you do Areoss? What can we do?" Amir muttered to herself, praying to the mother crystal for guidance.

 **A/N, apologies for the lateness on the update, things came up, stuff happened, and I got lazy. Let's focus on this though, I finally got some good action down, although I'm not sure if I like the switching between characters as much as I did originally, I might switch that up later on.**

 **New things will be added, a meeting of the entirety of Team Natsu next chapter, and possibly some new armour for Areoss, he can't keep using just gauntlets and boots. (It may involve a skirt)**

 **See you soon enough again guys! Oh and please leave a review to let me know what I should change if necessary.**

 **P.S Yes, the Eorzean plot will stay, and the connections may begin to grow, as you shall see.**


	4. Settling in

Areoss was glad to be back in Magnolia. The ride back had been just as much of a pain as the ride in, Natsu's constant motion sickness, and Lucy questioning him about what happened. He would always come up with excuses, finding ways to get around the questions. Areoss didn't enjoy lying, he would much rather tell them outright what the truth was, but for now he could only let Mira and the master know.

Walking down the streets, Areoss couldn't help but notice just how many people were out and about. The town was bustling, merchants trying to sell their wares, couples strolling by only having eyes for each other, children running up and down in the streets.

It was a far cry from most places in Eorzea. Uldah had fallen somewhat into poverty, the Syndicate controlling all of it. Limsa was constantly plagued by the beast tribes, the same going to Gridania. Coerthas was still under siege by dragons and other foul beasts, leaving the soldiers of the highlands no time to rest. And Revenants Toll was constantly in fear of an attack from the Gareleans. Nowhere in Eorzea was there peace such as this, and the young paladin couldn't help but feel jealous of them.

"Alright, back at last!" Natsu's announcement brought Areoss out of his thoughts, the group was now in front of the guildhall, with Natsu already having kicked the door open. "We're back!" The teen shouted, as if his presence hadn't already been noticed. Areoss quickly made his way past the tables, waving back to a few guildmates who greeted him.

With a sigh of relief, Areoss plopped himself down onto one of the stools at the bar, Mira already grabbing a glass, smiling at him as always. "So, how was it?" Mira asked, handing Areoss a glass of water.

"Not too different from the leves we have in Eorzea, it seemed simple enough." Areoss replied, draining his glass straight after. "But you could've told me to pack something warmer, it was freezing up there!"

"Ah, sorry about that. I thought you would've guessed it was cold. It is a mountain after all." Mira said. "Oh, how were your injuries, didn't trouble you?"

Areoss' hand brushed over the scar, "Not once, whatever fixed me up certainly did a good job of it."

"Well that's good to hear! I see you've gotten along with Natsu very well." Mira pointed to the rose haired teen, who was currently in the middle of another brawl that had broken out in the guild.

"Yeah, he seems like a good guy, even if he isn't the sharpest sword in the arsenal." Areoss turned back to Mira, seeming to have remembered something, "What's his magic, all I saw him use was fire, is that all there is to it?"

"Natsu's a fire dragon slayer, his magic allows him to fight as a dragon would, their breath, claws scales, he can use all of it. It is a little restricted, but it's extremely powerful." Mira explained.

"Amazing, you weren't lying when you said that your magic was different to ours. I wonder if I can use something like that?" Areoss said, wonder filling his voice.

"I'm sure that you'll find the right one for you. I'll tell the master that you made it back safe, he should be fine with letting you go on missions of your own then." Mira replied, turning to leave.

"I don't know about that. There are so many things I don't know about this place, the magic, everything." Areoss said.

"You'll see, you just need time. See you later, Areoss!" With a wave, Mira left to the master's room, leaving Areoss at the bar, unsure of what to do.

Areoss lifted himself off the stool, and turned around to make a start back to his room, only to be hit in the face by a pair of pants. Confused, Areoss took the pants off his head, and looked around to see where they had come from.

It didn't take long to find the owner. The boy fighting with Natsu, who he assumed was Gray, was currently down to his boxers. With nothing better to do, Areoss started walking over.

"Hey, are these yours?" Areoss asked the black haired teen, catching the attention of him and Natsu.

"Ah dammit. I don't know how they keep disappearing." Gray took the pants back, getting a closer look at Areoss. "Oi, Flame breath, is this the guy you were talking about?"

"Yeah, that's our new member. I bet he could beat you in a fight popsicle." Natsu replied.

"What did you say, hothead? I bet I could beat him without breaking a sweat." The pair were eye to eye now, each growling furiously.

"Um, Gray was it?" The teens turned towards Areoss, glares fixed on him, "You lost your pants again." Gray looked down to find that his pants had yet again disappeared, leaving him down to his boxers once more. "Dammit!" Gray shouted, leaving a confused swordsman and a laughing dragon slayer in his search to find his missing clothes.

"Oi, Areoss, fight me!" the young paladin looked back to Natsu, who had a gigantic grin on his face. "I wanna see how strong you really are!"

"I don't think that's a good idea Natsu, you'd wipe the floor with me." The look Natsu gave didn't look very convinced. 'Besides I don't even have a full set of armour, your flames would burn me to a crisp without it."

"Well, you gotta promise that when you do get armour, you'll fight me!" Natsu wasn't backing down one bit, and Areoss didn't think he was going to be able to change his mind now. "It's a promise then."

"Armour? Why not go shopping for some then?" The pair turned to see Lucy sitting on one of the nearby tables, only now making her presence known. "I've seen a few stores with armour in them, and with the reward from that job earlier, you should have no problem buying some. C'mon, I'll help you find the shops."

Lucy pushed herself off her bench, and was already at the door in a flash. This behaviour was very different to during that job, Areoss thought, perhaps because this is something she's more comfortable with. With nothing better to do, Areoss followed his blond guildmate, Natsu staying behind, saying something about Lucy shopping.

* * *

Almost 3 hours since they had left the guild, and Areoss still hadn't found a set of armour. Lucy had convinced him to buy several sets of clothes, though why he would need clothes for swimming when there was no lakes nearby he couldn't fathom, but they still hadn't found any armour for him.

It wasn't that they couldn't find any armour, whenever they did, Areoss felt a bad vibe going near the armour, something that told him it wasn't the right one. This had never happened before, perhaps it was an effect of being from another world. Whatever instinct it was, he was going to trust it, he'd learnt in the past that gut feeling was sometimes the best way to decide.

"Alright, this is the last store in town, and as far as I know, it should have some armour in there." Areoss snapped out of his thoughts to look over at Lucy, who was carrying an armful of bags, all of her own clothing mind you. Areoss turned to see the store in front of him, shocked by the sight in front of him.

The store was lined with weapons and shields, the only proper part of the building that could actually be seen was the metal door frame in the centre. Swords, axes, knives, spears, they were all over the walls, the roof, everywhere.

Uncertain of what to expect, Areoss walked into the store, a small bell announcing his arrival. The interior of the store was full of mannequins, all covered in armour. The smell of a lit forge lingered in the air, and Areoss could see a small counter on the other end of the room. Walking over to the counter, Areoss looked around to try and find the owner of the store, only to find no one.

"Hello, and welcome to my little store." Areoss jumped almost a foot into the air at that gentle voice. Whipping around, the warrior of light was met with a silver haired old man, covered in a blacksmiths apron, leather pants, and a tool belt with a hammer in one of the holes. The man gave Areoss a smile, showing his few remaining teeth. "Always pleasant to see a new customer, not many appreciate armour now these days."

The man's eyes fell to the paladin's gauntlets and boots, "Oh, very nice, very nice indeed. That metal is like nothing I've ever seen, the fingers are left with enough mobility for a sword or a shield, very nice indeed."

"Oh, how rude of me. My name is Hamon, owner of this humble little store, and your name would be?" Hamon extended his hand out, Areoss grasping it softly, "Areoss, a pleasure to meet you."

Hamon scratched his chin, "Areoss… almost sounds familiar. Must be nothing, to business. I see that you are in need of armour, and you certainly have come to the right place for it. Take as long as you would like, I believe you will find what you are looking for." With a twinkle in his eye, the old man ambled past Areoss, going through a door the youth had missed earlier.

Areoss stood there, staring at the door for a few moments, before taking the man's advice and starting his search. Just like before, most of the armour Areoss approached radiated the off vibe, but there was one that seemed to do the opposite, pulling him closer towards it. Picking up on this, Areoss followed whatever was leading him, eventually coming across a peculiar set of armour.

It was all golden, save for the black chain mail pants and chest piece. The torso only seemed to cover the shoulders and abdomen, leaving the chain mail to cover the rest of the front, the back covering the entire spine. The pauldrons, each shaped like the head of a lion, stopped a few inches above the elbows, the five fingered gauntlets stopping just below them. The strange belt seemed to cover part of the left leg, his leading one. The boots, simple in design, stopped not too far below his knees, offering good protection. Finally, the helmet itself was shaped like a lion, and it appeared that the mouth could be opened as a visor.

Areoss stood there, soaking in everything about the armour for a few moments. It was perfect, almost as though it was made for him. The entranced shopper didn't even notice that Hamon had approached him until he was right behind him.

"The Leo armour? Interesting, very interesting." The old blacksmith walked up to the mannequin, taking the armour off piece by piece, "I made this armour so many years ago, an old friend of mine gave me the idea. It's an amazing piece, there's no denying it, but no one has been able to wear it. But you, you seem right for it." Areoss started reaching towards the pouch at his side, receiving a shake of the head from the old man, "Take the armour, don't bother paying for it, I doubt I'd be able to get rid of it anyway."

Hamon tapped each part of the armour with his hammer, watching as it slowly shrunk down until it looked more fitting for a child. He quickly stored the armour in a case that he pulled from seemingly nowhere, giving Areoss a smirk as he did so, "My magic, resize, allows me to change how large or small an item is, allowing me to craft armour in extreme detail, but also make it for any size. As soon as you pull it out of that case, you'll find it will revert to its normal size. I hope to see you again soon, customers are hard to come by now a days."

"I will, thank you for this, Hamon. I don't know what I would have done without that armour." Areoss gave the old man one final wave before leaving, unaware of the sly grin Hamon was hiding.

Lucy was still waiting for him out the front, having laid her bags on the ground to stretch. She gave the case a quick look before glancing back to him. "Is that really all? It seems a little small for you."

Areoss gave a quick shake of his head, "It's shrunken down right now, it'll get bigger once I take it out of the case, trust me."

Lucy gave a shrug of her shoulders, "If you say so, let's head back to the guild, I think we might have enough clothes." Areoss raised an eyebrow at that, noting that there were at least twenty bags, "You think?"

"Maybe I went a little overboard, maybe." Lucy muttered, "But that isn't the point, we should get going, these bags won't carry themselves." With a little struggle, the pair started back towards the guild, their arms far heavier than the trip to the stores.

* * *

Having stored away his newly purchased clothes in the infirmary, and swapping his old clothes for a simple black pair of pants and white shirt, Areoss made his way back out into guildhall. Gray and Natsu seemed to be fighting again, making him wonder if they ever weren't arguing. With nothing better to do, the young man decided to try and get along with his fellow guildmates.

Everyone in the entire guild seemed strange in some way or another. There was Cana, also known as the local drunk, he looked as though she could give Cid a run for his money with the drinking. Elfman, Mira's younger brother, was a giant of a man, his hair the same white as his sister's. Loke, quite the womaniser that one, always seemed to have at least two girls with him at all times. They all seemed quite the rowdy bunch, and from what he could tell, this wasn't even half of them, some members still away on jobs.

It seemed there was always an argument in the guild, whether it was just Natsu and Gray, or half of the guild joining in on the brawl, there always seemed to be something happening. But it was never tense, the arguments just seemed to be a part of the guild. With a small smirk, Areoss dodged past the two brawlers as they continued their fight, wanting to simply rest after everything that had happened to him.

He'd barely closed his eyes at the bench when someone sat down next to him. Curious, Areoss turned to see a short blue haired girl, a pair of pink glasses sitting atop her head. The girl gave out a long sigh, lying her arms and head across the table. A little concerned for the girl, he decided to talk with her, "You okay?"

The girl's head groggily turned to him, only just now noticing him. The girl sat there for a few seconds, her mind attempting to recognize this new person. "Um, who are you?"

"I'm Areoss, a new member here. You sure you're okay, you seem pretty exhausted?" The girl gave a nod of her head, picking herself up off the table.

"I'm fine. The name's Levy by the way, a pleasure to meet you." The pair quickly shook hands, "I've been searching through my books for somewhere called Eorzea, but I haven't found squat!" Levy flung her arms out in frustration. "It's ridiculous, there should at least be something on it."

Areoss was interested now, "Why are you searching for it?" "Mira asked me to look for it, she didn't say why though, I don't even know where she found the name in the first place."

Areoss patted Levy on the shoulder, trying to reassure her, "I'm sure you'll find something eventually, if you just keep at it." Areoss said, starting to stand up from the bench.

Levy glanced up at him, a glint of hope in her eyes, "Thanks for that, I really needed that advice. Areoss was it? Guess I'll see you around later." With that, she rushed off through the guild's entrance, drawing a few curious looks.

 _This place doesn't get boring_ , Areoss thought, _but I think I've had enough for one day_. After grabbing a quick meal at the bar, which he paid for of course, the Warrior of Light retreated back to what had become his room. With a sigh of relief, the young man slipped into an early rest, a few rays of sunlight coating the end of his bed. It was the first of many days to come for the paladin.

 **A/N I am very sorry for the delay. I hadn't intended for this story to be put on hold for so long, but things came up. Things will be heating up very soon, so please stick with me. I have set myself a deadline of two weeks for the next chapter, so hopefully I'll follow it this time. Props to you if you can guess where the name Hamon is from. See you soon!**


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